It
is my sad duty to inform you of the death of Captain Matthew David
Roland, age 27, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 26,
2015. He was killed at a vehicle checkpoint at a forward operating base
when two individuals wearing Afgan National Defense and Security Forces
opened fire on him as well as SSgt Forrest B. Sibley. NATO service
members returned fire and killed the shooters at Camp Antonik
–
Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

He was
a proud member of the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field,
FL. He was born at Ellsworth AFB, SD on December 24, 1987.
Being
a member of a military family he lived at Dyess AFB,TX; Kirtland AFB,
NM and Lexington, KY. He graduated at Lexington Catholic High School
before entering the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, CO
where he graduated in Class 2010. He graduated Combat Control School in
Class 11-003, and Advanced Skills Training in Class 42.

The
family will receive visitors in his honor from 5-7pm on Tuesday
September 8, 2015 at Lexington Catholic High School; followed by a
Memorial Ceremony at 7pm. Another Memorial Service will be conducted on
Monday, September 14 at 0900 in the Freedom Hangar at Hurlburt. Burial
in the future will take place at Arlington National Cemetery with full
military honors. In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions
can be made in Captain Roland's memory to the Combat Control
Association.

May he Rest in Peace, CT

Forrest
B. Sibley

It is with
the deepest regret that I inform you the death of Staff
Sergeant
Forrest Brent Sibley, age 31, who was killed in action in Afghanistan
on August
26, 2015. He was killed at a vehicle checkpoint at a forward operating
base
when two individuals wearing Afgan National Defense and Security Forces
opened
fire on him as well as Captain Matthew D. Roland. NATO service members
returned
fire and killed the shooters at Camp Antonik – Helmand
Province, Afghanistan.

He
was currently assigned to the 21st Special
Tactics Squadron at Pope
Army Airfield, NC. He was a four-time Bronze Star recipient, once with
the
Valor device, and had deployed four times to sensitive locations around
the
world in his nearly seven years of service. He is survived by his
parents of
Pensacola, FL.

A
Memorial Service will be held on Monday, September 14 at 0900 at the
Freedom
Hangar at Hurlburt Field.

Visitation
will be held on Tuesday, September 15, from 1400 to 1700 at the Naval
Aviation
Memorial Chapel located at 131 Moffett Rd, Bldg. 1982; Pensacola, FL
32508. Funeral
service will be held on Wednesday, September 16 at 1100 at the same
address. Interment
will follow the service at the Barrancas National Cemetery at 1400. A
military
Honor Guard has been requested. It has not been decided by the family
at this
time what the desires are in lieu of flowers.

Forrest
graduated from Niceville, FL high school. He graduated from the Combat
Control
School in Class 09-005, and Advanced Skills Training Class 35. He was
CCA Life
Member 1345.

May
he Rest in Peace, CT

The 21st Special Tactics Squadron honored
a fallen comrade
from their squadron, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley, in a
private
ceremony, Pope Army Airfield, N.C., Sept. 3. Sibley was a combat
controller who
had recently deployed to Afghanistan in support of OPERATION
Freedom’s Sentinel
when he and another Special Tactics Airmen were shot at a vehicle
checkpoint at
Camp Antonik, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2015. He and Capt. Matthew Roland,
special
tactics officer from 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, died of wounds
sustained in
the attack Aug. 27. U.S. Air Force photo by Marvin

HURLBURT
FIELD — For the
second time in a month, the Special Tactics community is mourning the
loss of two of its airmen following an attack in Afghanistan on Aug. 25.

Capt.
Matthew D. Roland, 27, and
Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley, 31, who were deployed in support of
Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, were at a vehicle checkpoint
near
Camp Antonik when two individuals wearing Afghan National Defense and
Security Forces uniforms opened fire on them. NATO service members
returned fire and killed the shooters.

The
21st Special Tactics Squadron honored a fallen comrade
from their squadron, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley, in a
private
ceremony, Pope Army Airfield, N.C., Sept. 3. Sibley was a combat
controller who
had recently deployed to Afghanistan in support of OPERATION
Freedom’s Sentinel
when he and another Special tactics Airmen were shot at a vehicle
checkpoint at
Camp Antonik, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2015. He and Capt. Matthew Roland,
special
tactics officer from 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, died of wounds
sustained in
the attack Aug. 27. (U.S. Air Force photo by Marvin

Roland and Sibley passed away from their wounds the following day.

“The
losses of Matt and
Forrest are a terrible blow to everyone who knew them,” said
Col.
Wolfe Davidson, 24th Special Operations Wing commander.
“These
two combat controllers were incredible warriors who not only
volunteered to join our nation’s Special Operations Forces,
but
earned their way to the tip of the spear in defense of our
nation.”

The
deaths of Roland and Sibley
occurred just a little more than three weeks after Tech. Sgt. Timothy
Officer and Tech. Sgt. Marty Betteyloun, both members of the 24th
Special Operations Wing, were killed in a free fall training accident
at Eglin Air Force Base on Aug. 3.

Roland
was a special tactics
officer at the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt. He graduated
from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2010. Upon completing the STO
training program in 2012, he was a team leader who supervised
real-world combat preparedness training of a 35-member team.

The
21st Special Tactics Squadron honored a fallen comrade
from their squadron, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley, in a
private
ceremony, Pope Army Airfield, N.C., Sept. 3. Sibley was a combat
controller who
had recently deployed to Afghanistan in support of OPERATION
Freedom’s Sentinel
when he and another Special tactics Airmen were shot at a vehicle
checkpoint at
Camp Antonik, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2015. He and Capt. Matthew Roland,
special
tactics officer from 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, died of wounds
sustained in
the attack Aug. 27. U.S. Air Force photo by Marvin

He
deployed three times in his five years of service to multiple locations
globally. He is survived by his parents.

Phil
Roberts of Lexington, Kentucky, knew Roland during his days as an Eagle
Scout in high school.

“Matt
was a true leader even in high school,” Roberts wrote in an
email to the Daily News.

“He
was a fun-loving,
boisterous, happy kid, and there was never any doubt he would be a fine
military officer. I think he probably wore camo diapers as an
infant!”

Sibley
was a combat controller
at the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Army Airfield, N.C. He was a
four-time Bronze Star medal recipient, once with the valor device, and
he deployed four times to sensitive locations around the world in his
nearly seven years of service. He is survived by his parents.

“I
went to school with
Forrest,” John Wayne McDonald of Alabama commented on the
Daily
News website. “He was a great guy. He was never mean to
anyone.”

Due to
their extensive special
operations training, both were military-qualified static line jumpers,
free fall jumpers, combat scuba divers and qualified in joint terminal
attack control.

“The
risks that these men
and their teammates endured in combat and in training are all too well
known to the Special Tactics community, but it does not make this great
loss any easier to bear,” Davidson said. “We will
honor
Matt and Forrest for the legacy they left behind, embrace their
families as our own, and thank them eternally for their ultimate
sacrifice for American freedom.”

The
21st Special Tactics Squadron honored a fallen comrade
from their squadron, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley, in a
private
ceremony, Pope Army Airfield, N.C., Sept. 3. Sibley was a combat
controller who
had recently deployed to Afghanistan in support of OPERATION
Freedom’s Sentinel
when he and another Special tactics Airmen were shot at a vehicle
checkpoint at
Camp Antonik, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2015. He and Capt. Matthew Roland,
special
tactics officer from 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, died of wounds
sustained in
the attack Aug. 27. U.S. Air Force photo by Marvin

Fallen Special
Tactics hero honored at squadron tribute

POPE
ARMY AIRFIELD, N.C. --

The coolest guy in the room. A knight and a
warrior on
the battlefield. A highly decorated combat veteran who went to great
lengths to mentor young Airmen. Someone with a quick wit, an infectious
laugh and a sense of humor that was “second to
none.”

That’s how members of the 21st Special Tactics Squadron
described
a fallen comrade, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley, in a
private ceremony here, Sept. 3.

Sibley was a combat controller who had recently deployed to Afghanistan
in support of OPERATION Freedom’s Sentinel when he and
another
Special Tactics Airmen were shot at a vehicle checkpoint at Camp
Antonik, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2015. He and Capt. Matthew Roland,
special tactics officer from 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, died of
wounds sustained in the attack Aug. 27.

During the tribute, Maj. Stewart J. Parker, 21 STS commander, shared
his personal memories with the gathered teammates, friends and family
members.

He recalled the last time he saw Sibley two weeks ago, as the 21 STS
Special Tactics Airmen met before the members of the squadron left for
a deployment.

“I’ll never forget Forrest as he passed me on his
way to
the door, cracking jokes,” Parker said from the podium in the
flightline's hangar. “He slapped me on the back and gave me
one
of those priceless smiles. ‘We’ll see you soon,
sir,’
he said. And then he swaggered out to board the aircraft.”

Sibley, 31, had served in the Air Force as a Special Tactics Airmen
since November 2008. In his seven years of service, he received four
Bronze Star medals, once with valor for heroism in combat, as well as a
Purple Heart for injuries sustained in combat. He was on his fourth
overall deployment and third deployment to Afghanistan when he was
killed in action. He had been stationed at Pope Army Airfield since
2014.

U.S. Air Force Master
Sgt. Delorean Sheridan, 21st Special
Tactics Squadron, honored a fallen comrade from their squadron, Staff
Sgt.
Forrest Sibley, in a private ceremony, Pope Army Airfield, N.C., Sept.
3.
Sibley was a combat controller who had recently deployed to Afghanistan
in
support of OPERATION Freedom’s Sentinel when he and another
Special tactics
Airmen were shot at a vehicle checkpoint at Camp Antonik, Afghanistan,
Aug. 26,
2015. He and Capt. Matthew Roland, special tactics officer from 23rd
Special
Tactics Squadron, died of wounds sustained in the attack Aug. 27.

“We can pay tribute to Forrest by trying
to be a
little more like him: work hard, but don’t take life too
seriously. Laugh a little more. Take time to enjoy the freedom that
guys like Forrest have fought so hard to give us,” Parker
said.
“And if we do that…if we absorb some of his upbeat
attitude as a part of our own lives, then not everything we love about
Forrest dies along with him.”

One of Sibley’s friends, SSgt Christopher Shaub, described
him as
“a man with a remarkable soul whose character could not be
emulated.”

Shaub said his friend described himself on a
professional networking website as someone who works daily to shape the
minds of today’s youth for tomorrow’s uncertainty.

“We owe him such a debt of gratitude,” said Shaub.
“He is hands down one of the best Americans I have ever
known,
and I’m lucky to be able to call him my friend.”

Several Special Tactics teammates said Sibley had an appetite for
nature and loved to hunt and fish, often spending time in the woods of
Alabama for days at a time.

Shaub closed by recounting words of wisdom from Gen. George S. Patton,
often described as the greatest combat general in World War II:

“It’s foolish and wrong to mourn the men who have
died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”

Sibley was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, which
supports NATO's Resolute Support Mission to continue training,
advising, and assisting Afghan security forces, and to also continue
the U.S.'s counterterrorism mission against the remnants of Al-Qaeda.

As a Special Tactics combat controller, Sibley was trained to survey
and establish airfields, direct precision strikes and control air
power, all in hostile or austere areas. He was also qualified as a
military static line jumper, free fall jumper, an Air Force combat
scuba diver and a joint terminal attack controller.

The ceremony concluded with 21 STS leadership performing the last roll
call in which Sibley was noted as not being present for duty after
being killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan.

The roll call was followed by the playing of taps—both
tributes which left very few dry eyes in crowd.

Sibley was a native of Pensacola, Fla., and is survived by his parents
and siblings.

Hurlburt
Field personnel line Independence Road to honor Staff Sgt. Forrest
Sibley, a Combat Controller from the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, and
his family during a procession at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Sep. 14, 2015.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airmen Hayden K. Hyatt/Released)

Two
fallen Special Tactics Airmen honored, remembered

Special
Tactics Airmen bear the remains of Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley during
a dignified transfer on Hurlburt Field, Fla., Sept. 14, 2015. The two
Special Tactics Airmen, who had recently deployed to Afghanistan in
support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel, were shot at a vehicle
checkpoint at Camp Antonik, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, and died of wounds
sustained in the attack, were honored in a private memorial. Both
Special Tactics Airmen will be buried with full military honors. (U.S.
Air Force photo by Airman Kai White/Released)

HURLBURT
FIELD, Fla. --
More than 1,000 family members, friends and teammates from around the
country gathered here Sept. 14 to honor and remember two Special
Tactics Airmen who were killed in action last month in an insider
attack.

As the procession of family members departed the memorial, nearly 2,000
Air Commandos lined the roads and saluted to honor Capt. Matthew D.
Roland, 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, and Staff Sgt. Forrest B.
Sibley, 21st Special Tactics Squadron. Both were killed Aug. 26 at a
vehicle checkpoint near Camp Antonik, Afghanistan.

“There are no words, lessons [or] themes that could properly
memorialize Matt and Forrest,” said Lt. Col. Paul Brister,
23rd
STS commander, at the memorial service. “They both lived
lives
bigger than that. The best way we can memorialize them is to live life
with as much zeal, humor and love as they demonstrated in
theirs.”

Roland, 27, a special tactics officer and team leader, was a qualified
special operations battlefield commander who had deployed three times
in his five years of service. Roland graduated from the U.S. Air Force
Academy in 2010 and completed the rigorous special operations training
pipeline in 2012. He was a native of Lexington, Ky., and is survived by
his parents and sibling.

“Matt was anything but typical,” Brister said.
“On
the battlefield he was a lion — lethal, precise, humble and
compassionate. He was always flawless. I’m convinced I
learned
more from him than he could ever learn from me.”

Sibley, 31, a combat controller stationed at Pope Army Airfield, N.C.,
had deployed four times to numerous sensitive locations in his seven
years of service. For his commitment in the face of consistent danger,
he received four Bronze Star medals, one with the Valor device for
bravery against an enemy of the U.S. in combat. He was a native of
Pensacola, Fla., and is survived by his parents and siblings.

“Men like Forrest run toward the sound of chaos,”
Bain said. “He cared more about others than
himself.”

Staff Sgt. Bob Sears said Sibley was an incredible warrior, friend and
teammate.

“We are hurting for Forrest and Matt, but they will never be
forgotten,” Sears said. “We will never stop talking
about
them.”

As tradition dictates, during the memorial service, there was a final
roll call to account for Special Tactics Airmen. When
Roland’s
and Sibley’s names were called three times with no response,
Airmen responded they were no longer present to report for duty, as
they were killed in action.

After the conclusion of the ceremony, service members lined to salute
the two battlefield crosses representing both Airmen, which were a pair
of boots, a rifle, their special operations berets and dog tags.
Special Tactics Airmen also tacked their flashes, or special operations
insignia normally found on their berets or uniforms, next to the
battlefield cross, to honor their fallen comrades.

Following the memorial, hundreds of Special Tactics Airmen saluted
Sibley’s coffin, draped in an American flag, as a FA-20
aircraft
completed the dignified arrival before his interment at a local
cemetery.

Both Airmen will be interred at military cemeteries with full military
honors at a later date.

Airmen
salute during Capt. Matthew D. Roland and Staff Sgt. Forrest B.
Sibley’s memorial service, Sept. 14, 2015, at Hurlburt Field,
Fla. The two Special Tactics Airmen, who had recently deployed to
Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel, were shot at a
vehicle checkpoint at Camp Antonik, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, and died of
wounds sustained in the attack, were honored in a private memorial.
Both Special Tactics Airmen will be buried with full military honors.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy/Released)

Forrest Brent
Sibley, October 21, 1983 - August 26, 2015

Our
beloved son, brother, and patriot, Forrest Brent Sibley, lost his life
in the service of God and country on August 26, 2015 in Helmand
Province, Afghanistan. He was deployed with the 21st Special Tactics
Squadron USAF, on his fourth deployment. He completed Combat Control
School at Pope Army Airfield, Combat Dive School, Airborne, Military
Freefall School and was a Joint Terminal Attack Controller. Forrest's
mission was liaison for Air-To-Ground Precision Guided Munitions for
Special Operations Close Air Support.

He was
a born leader
and, as an avid outdoorsman, loved to hunt and fish with his Dad and
Grandfather. He was naturally curious, patient, fearless, and wanted to
experience life as he saw it. Forrest loved all sports, especially
college football as a Florida Gator fan.

Born in
Shreveport,
Louisiana, Forrest grew up with his father and sister and later moved
to Alabama where he graduated from Appalachian High School in Oneonta.
His sister, Jordan, describes Forrest as her best friend, strongest
supporter, and loving brother. Forrest was proud of his younger brother
Spenser Fernandez, who followed in his footsteps becoming a Senior
Airman serving as an Air Traffic Controller at Holloman AFB.

Initially
assigned to the 23rd Special
Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Forrest deployed to a variety of
locales, including Afghanistan and Africa. He was awarded four Bronze
Stars, one with the 'V' device and received two Purple Hearts and the
Air Force Commendation medal.

From
San Antonio’s Lackland Air Force Base to Hurlburt Field
in Florida, 812 miles, 20 Special Tactics Airmen started their trek
Oct. 4 in
honor of their fallen comrades.

This
is the fourth U.S. Special Tactics Memorial March in
remembrance of the two Special Tactics Airmen who were killed Aug. 26
in an
attack in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

The
Special Tactics Airmen made their way through the
Humble, Atascocita and Huffman area communities Tuesday, Oct. 6.

“Less
than a month later after losing two airmen, here we
are ‘rucking’ 812 miles from San Antonio to
Hurlburt Field in Florida which
represents the training program they go through,” Lt. Katrina
Cheesman, chief
of public affairs for U.S. Air Force Special Tactics, said.
“The training is
like a two-year pipeline which is very rigorous and strenuous and tests
them.

“They
start their training in San Antonio at the Air Force
Base then halfway through they go to Air Traffic Controller School at
Keesler
Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, and at the very end, go to
Hurlburt
Field in Florida where we have the Special Tactics Training Squadron.
All these
training sessions are like puzzle pieces that when placed together,
make these
airmen into an operational warrior to can handle most
situations.”

Special
tactics Airmen carry 20 batons during a memorial march to Hurlburt
Field, Fla., Oct. 13, 2015. The team of 20 special tactics Airmen
started marching at 2 a.m. Oct. 4, 2015, from Joint Base San
Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and marched 812 miles through five states to
meet with Gold Star families and end the memorial march with a ceremony
on Hurlburt Field. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Kai White)

“Rucking”
is a slang term used by the airmen since they
carry water and nourishment in ruck sacks during their walk.

Additionally,
the memorial march honors all 19 Special
Tactics pararescuemen and Combat Controllers who have been killed in
action
since 2001.

“We
do this arduous march to commemorate and honor fallen
members of Air Force Special Tactics and their families. These warriors
gave
their lives in defense of freedom and our nation’s security,
and so every step
of every mile is in memory of that sacrifice,” Event
organizer, retired Chief
Master Sgt. Steven Haggett said in a press release about the march.

During
the walk, the 20 airmen will relay through five
states, averaging 12.5 miles per leg. Each two-man team will walk
approximately
90 miles during the 10-day trek, carrying a 50-pound ruck sack and a
commemorative baton engraved with a fallen Special Tactics
Airman’s name.

A grandmother of one of the
fallen special tactics Airmen carries a photo in honor of her loved one
to a baton ceremony on Hurlburt Field, Fla., Oct. 13, 2015. The team of
20 special tactics Airmen started at 2 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2015, from Joint
Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and marched 812 miles through five
states to meet with Gold Star families and end the memorial march with
a ceremony on Hurlburt Field. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Kai White)

“With
the baton, it’s like we are carrying them home. This
U.S. Special Tactics Memorial March is important because we will always
remember our fallen airmen and to showcase support to our Gold Star
families
because they are truly the ones who bear the cross of their
child’s sacrifice,”
Cheesman said. “We also host this march to educate others
about what U.S.
Special Tactics is all about.

“Plus,
this is a challenge. We want to welcome others into
the Special Tactics community if they feel inspired and challenged by
what we
do. But first and foremost, this walk is to honor our fallen
comrades.”

For
the final 4.6 miles together, and the walk for the final
mile from Hurlburt Field’s front gate, the 20 airmen will
meet with surviving
family members of the 19 fallen Special Tactics Airmen and members of
the
community and march together until they reach the Squadron.

“These
fallen comrades will never be forgotten, we will
always be telling their stories,” Cheesman said.

Special tactics Airmen greet
Gold Star families after finishing an 812-mile memorial march from
Texas to Florida. The memorial march is only completed when a special
tactics Airmen is killed in action. This march was held in honor of
Capt. Matthew Roland and Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley, who were killed in
action Aug. 26, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Kai White)

For many of
the Gold Star
families and special tactics Airmen, it was a reunion. The Airmen had
carried memorial batons engraved with the names of the fallen halfway
across the country to walk alongside the families who lost their loved
ones. This was not the first time they had done this; most of the
families had attended all four of the memorial marches, the first of
which took place in 2009.

“Who’s got Argel?” one family member
shouted into the
chaotic crowd of hugging people, searching for the person holding their
son’s baton. Eventually, each Airman delivered his baton to
the
appropriate family, and the group walked the final mile together.

At the end of the march, the Airmen took part in a small ceremony. The
batons were solemnly saluted and returned, one by one, to a waiting
special tactics Airman as the names of the 19 teammates were called.

The batons were returned to their display case and will only be removed
for another memorial march if a special tactics Airman is killed in
action.

Finally, in keeping with a special tactics tradition, the Airmen formed
up to complete memorial pushups.

“The fallen’s legacy will never die, because we
will
continue to honor their sacrifices and perpetuate their
excellence,” Col. Wolfe Davidson (pictured below), the 24th
Special Operations Wing commander, said of the 19 special tactics
Airmen killed in action since 9/11. “We aren’t ever
going
to quit talking about them. We will walk across this country to say,
‘We will never forget you.’”

2015 CCA Reunion Memorial Ceremony

"The losses of Matt and Forrest
are a
terrible blow to everyone who knew them," Col. Wolfe Davidson, 24th
Special Operations Wing commander, said in a statement.
"These two
combat controllers were incredible warriors who not only volunteered to
join our nation's Special Operations Forces, but earned their way to
the tip of the spear in defense of our nation,"

Click
Below to Start Video

Dead?
It was unthinkable. It was impossible. Not Forrest.

By
Andy Marlette, Pensacola News Journal

In the dark, early
morning, Josh confirmed the devastating
news with a call to his fallen friend's girlfriend.

"Forrest is dead."

Unthinkable. Impossible.
Forrest was the most alive person
he had ever known.

It was 2004 on Pensacola
Beach. Working as a bar back and
server, Forrest found his band of brothers. After opening the
now-legendary
Paradise Bar and Grill, they were part of the first squadron of friends
whose
mission was to open Hemingway's — an undertaking derailed
later that year by
Hurricane Ivan.

"Like everyone else, we were suddenly out of a
job," Josh recalls. No worry. At Forrest's cheerful lead, the group of
friends took to roaming Pensacola's hurricane-torn streets. They
bargained for
minimum wages in exchange for chopping, cutting, clearing and hauling.
Forrest
reveled in the exhaustion. The evenings without electricity. The
dinners of
MREs. He wasn't only the guy who smiled all the way through it, Josh
says. He
was the guy who — miraculously — went out and found
beers for everyone.

Eventually, the friends
returned to the beach. In those
days, they were the boys who made pretty girls laugh late into the
night at The
Break and The Islander. Forrest could skillfully turn a late night into
early
morning skinny-dipping in the Santa Rosa Sound — until a
good-natured deputy
would make everyone put their clothes back on.

"Forrest lived for
Pensacola Beach," Josh
explains. He was the local guy who would go on a gleeful shopping spree
for a
tourist's ensemble at Wings — the neon green "Pensacola
Beach" tank
top paired with the American flag swim trunks. Why? To playfully and
sincerely
adorn himself with the two places on Earth that he was so proud of.

"He had all intentions to
finish his military career
and live out his life right here," Josh says. "I think he loved it
more than any other place in the world."

And no matter where he
was in the world, Forrest was
thinking about Pensacola. As a four-time Bronze Star recipient in the
21st
Special Tactics Squadron based at Pope Army Airfield in North Carolina,
Forrest's duty called him far away from our beautiful beach.

There was Afghanistan
— twice. There was Syria. Harrowing
deployments dropped Forrest in some of the worst places at the worst
times. But
Pensacola was always a Facebook message away.

Ever the shepherd,
Forrest kept constant tabs on his
friends. "He was always checking to make sure we were having a good
time," Josh says. "Did you guys go to Blues on the Beach? Did you
guys do McGuire's 5k?" He was doing his solemn duty to his country, and
he
wanted to make sure his friends weren't neglecting their duty to enjoy
Pensacola.

"He was the guy who was
worried about his friends, even
while he was in the places where we should have been checking in on
him."
Josh says. Such was Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley's capacity to love
others.

Perhaps that's the
greatest talent of men who go through
life as Forrest did — to love.

"With the heart,
innocence and spirit of a
10-year-old," Josh describes all that Forrest so energetically adored:
He
loved the beach and Paddy O'Leary's and the Florida Gators. He loved
climbing
things — especially things that he wasn't supposed to climb.
There also was
Halloween. Golfing — especially the potential for a flipped
golf cart and the
way a gentlemanly afternoon at Osceola or Scenic Hills could morph into
a game
of bumper cars.

He loved the greeting, "Big
boy, where ya at?!"

He loved backyard
slip-and-slide obstacle courses. Such a
challenge was accepted with gusto — by dressing in 70's garb
and afro wig,
careening down the homemade slip, sliding into a dislocated shoulder.
And
smiling all the way, of course.

He loved countering the
ruckus of gonzo beachgoing with the
serenity of nature. Quiet moments were found at Fort Pickens where the
friends
would just wander. Other times it was Forrest leading a band of
Pensacola
brothers and sisters over the Blackwater River and through the woods
until they
were lost.

And sometimes Forrest
would just go get lost by himself.
"He'd take off with a few guns and an appetite for venison," Josh
says. "He gave nature its due time. He had an intuition. Forrest knew
how
to dwell in it."

In truest heart and full
faith, Josh says Forrest loved his
country. At times, when a few beers would stretch into late-night
political
discussions, Forrest's vision of America was absolute and unshakeable.
Our
nation's greatness was not up for debate. We were the good guys and
Forrest was
dedicated to being one of the very best of them.

To those who spoke to
Forrest about his service, the
potential for violence was something that existed outside his
fascination with
the special forces. Certainly, he knew the dangers of duty. But his
love of the
mission was hardwired to the tactics and technology. "He was a born
puzzle-solver," says Josh.

As word spread that Staff
Sgt. Sibley had been killed in an
ambush, lines of communication lit up from the diaspora of crestfallen
friends
of Forrest. Many old Pensacola friends have scattered over the last
decade: New
York. Seattle. Atlanta. California. Kansas City. The news spread on
Facebook
and the sobbing phone calls have been coming in ever since. Every hour,
it has
seemed, another horrified friend learns the sad, sad news for the first
time.

Josh says Forrest had
just bought a motorcycle and was
planning a coast-to-coast ride. He loved his girlfriend very, very
much. They
were discussing marriage.

"He was supposed to be
there for things. He was
supposed to be there for the big days, you know? For the weddings. He
was a
future groomsman in many, many weddings."

"I think that's why this
has been so painful,"
Josh says. "You see a rare soul that's so alive and so vibrant, and
just
to be around him made you vibrant too — and then it's gone."

"In Pensacola, a lot of
people know Forrest. A lot of
people love him and miss him."

And so it goes. The
treachery of war has stolen a beloved
son far too soon. What's left but to mourn and honor him?

On Saturday near Big
Sabine, Josh and many of Forrest's
friends gathered along the seashore in the soundside waters their
fallen friend
loved so deeply. May there be solace that through these many souls,
Forrest
will never be forgotten. And may there be faith that even in this
final, tragic
deployment, Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley is somewhere smiling and
looking in on
the people he loved — like he'd done so many times before.